On the Wing
To the Edge of the Earth with the Peregrine Falcon
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
In this extraordinary journey, Alan Tennant recounts his attempt to track the transcontinental migration of the majestic peregrine falcon — an investigation no one before him had ever taken to such lengths. From the windswept flats of the Texas barrier islands to the Artic and then south again into the Caribbean, On the Wing provides a hilariously picaresque and bumpy flight.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Naturalist Tennant (The Guadalupe Mountains of Texas) describes his efforts to trail peregrine falcons on their epic migratory flights from the Caribbean to the Arctic in a detailed, impassioned account that's part nature study and part gonzo travelogue. After radio-tagging a young peregrine off the coast of Texas, Tennant teams up with George Vose, a former WWII combat flight instructor, to follow the bird on its spring migration north. Plenty of excitement run-ins with Canadian Mounties, trouble with Vose's battered plane follows as the men track their "guiding angel," the bird they name Amelia. After a trip to the peregrine's Alaskan breeding grounds, Tennant and Vose follow three new peregrines on the fall migration down the coast of Mexico and Central America, where their adventures include going into a free-fall over the Caribbean Ocean and being mistaken for DEA agents. Tennant pauses to consider nearly every creature he encounters along the way, from polar bear to insect, describing its connection to the land, and, in the inevitable bittersweet turn, revealing the environmental degradation that threatens its survival. With a nature-lover's deep concern rather than an ideologue's rhetoric, Tennant emphasizes the connection between man and beast, reflecting as well on his own need for migration and adventure. 8-page color insert not seen by PW.
Customer Reviews
Enchanting Story of Peregrine Falcon Migration
Alan's Tennant is captivated by the Peregrine falcon's desire to migrate. Alan describes his various efforts to follow several Peregrines. Eventually, Alan and his partner fly from Central America to Alaska.
Alan Tennant is fully engaged and striving to learn about their migration. He does excellent job conveying it to the reader.
Alan's drive to follow the bird's migration is similar to the Peregrine's desire to migrate.
I also enjoyed the brief story about "Cherokee," the Red Tail Hawk, which lost one wing as a young bird. "Though Cherokee has known flight for only a month, Cherokee, for 19 more years, kept trying to regain the sky." What drive! What motivation!
Alan's story, the peregrine falcon's story and Cherokee's story resonate.